Hmm... what cool things can I share about Bolivia? What deep, inspirational insights can I bestow on my dear Reader? Uhhmm....
Meanwhile... as I'm thinking up something fantastic to share...
I went to Samaipata for Easter weekend (yes, I know... that was a while ago... wow... that was a really long time ago). Time certainly is going by fast now. All us volunteers were told that the first 6 months were slow, but the last 6 would just fly. - well... February (the first month of the last 6 months) did not fly... it dragged. So, I started to doubt. And then April hit and things started to really pick up. I don't know if I'm glad or not.... but anyways, that's off-topic. Will get back to that later.
Back to Samaipata. Samaipata was fantastic! It was my second time there, but definitely no less exciting! I went with a bunch of other volunteers from Canada and the States who are all working here in Santa Cruz. It was a lot of fun (especially the crowding of all 7 of us into one taxi - one in the trunk (station-wagon-style), four in the back, two in the front - ok, not so much fun... the drive was aproximately 3 hours and our cramped positions were a little trying at times). Well, we arrived safely and sorely to Samaipata at around mid-day and commenced to walking around the town looking for a decent place to stay. We eventually found a super cool hostel whose older owner insisted that we were all family and that he was our papa.
We ended up doing a bunch of different things such as shopping in the market, exploring and finding a bonfire hang-out with lots of young people, cars and super loud regatone music, rummaging through souvanire (how do you spell that word?) shops and - best of all - visiting some awesome waterfalls!
The road to Samaipata is probably my most favourite part of Bolivia (which also is the road to Moro Moro). It's absolutely gorgeous! This is how I described it the first time I went... and it describes it just as well for the second time I went, too.
Everywhere the mountains rose, bubbling with green trees and, at times, revealing waves of smooth rock and moss-like meadows. At one point, behind the meeting of two green hills, the view of grand mountain majesty emerged in black and red rock, draped with small vegetation... a jumble of warm mountains would suddenly expose soaring bare rock.
There were hills so fine in their greenery you could nearly feel yourself soaring up their sides and down their troughs. There were mountains so densly massed with trees that you couldn't help but feel the need to tighten your shoelaces and pull your hood up just a little bit farther.
Our road wound its way through the green waves of the sea. Our small boat teetered on the side of deep valleys and rushed along welcoming mountain arms. Frightening deep canyons shot out to our right and fantastic rock faces leapt out on our left. And then they were gone and green light filtered to us through the rows of fair trees lining our path.
Our road wound on and on and I wondered how anyone could leave these mountains. How could anyone say goodbye to this place?
Here I will add pictures to help you imagine....
and the waterfalls?
Yes, well... that was Samaipata. Good fun had by all.
Getting back to work, of course, was difficult. I'm slowly learning the lesson of being content in my job. My work is not something I'm particularily excited about, but I'm finding things that I do like about it. The kids (when they're not crying... heh), my co-workers, the fantastic corner store a few blocks away. We (me and my co-workers) have some good times sometimes. You know, painting the kids faces with Canadian flags and fitting ourselves through little play tunnels to rescue a kid who forgot how to get out. The kids and I have a good time sometimes, too. Throwing them up in the air... biting their noses off with hand-puppets and forcing them to walk when they'd really rather crawl. Actually, that really is an exciting part of my job: seeing all the firsts. Seeing the kids celebrate their first ever birthday, take their first steps, start walking, learn to use the toilet (now that's exciting!), learn a new word... things like that. That's exciting. And, of course, it's also beautiful when you enter the room and the kids see you and excitedly grow big smiles on their faces, jump up and down (as best as a baby can do) and scream "hola! hola! hola!" at you. heh... that all makes being content easier.
Me, two of my co-workers, and some of the kids
Well, I only have 8 weeks left of work (once this week is done). Happy? Sad? Yes. A week after I finish work, I leave for reorientation. Wow! Two more months of Bolivia. Too long? Too short? Yes. I'm super excited to get home and see everything and see how things have changed and how I've changed. I really want to see my family and I'm super curious to see how I'll view Canadian culture after I've been use to Bolivia's. But, after 9 months here, Bolivia feels normal. The toborochi trees are always there. I love my host family and my church here. I'll miss walking the path behind my house to the church. I'll miss the walk to catch my micro. I'll miss my micro ride to work. I'll miss all the ice cream and fresh fruit. I'll miss my co-workers and speaking Spanish and visiting MCC and eating pluf-plufs (amazing ice cream!). Most of all, I'm going to miss my host family. They are the most amazing family I could've wished for. My "I'll miss" list could go on for awhile. So... sometimes I want to be home right now and other times I just want a few more weeks than what I have. And so, I guess, 2 months is a good amount of time. I can enjoy Bolivia for 9 more weeks.
Not much else has happened since Samaipata. I've continued to work on the weekdays and read lots on the weekends. Sometimes us volunteers have sleepovers at the MCC center and eat junk food while watching movies. And sometimes - like today - I don't end up at work (you may blame that on the intense rain and lack of my micro) and remain sitting on the couch, or on my bed or in front of the computer... being really lazy and just reading and writing and listening to music from youtube. Well, I believe we need days like this.
Well, that about sums everything up for now. Time to... hmmm... read?
